Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to overcome a setback during a strategic negotiation.
In a negotiation, things don’t always work out the way we hope. Sometimes we face obstacles that just can’t be overcome. In this situation, you’re faced with a choice – do you walk away, or do you think outside the box and try to save the relationship? After all in a strategic negotiation, it’s the relationship you build between the parties that is really important.
In this back and forth of overcoming obstacles, there are several techniques you can use. We’ll learn how to present a problem and how to introduce a different opportunity. We’ll also look at giving evidence for a proposition and narrowing the focus of the proposition. And finally we’ll cover how to request more time to think about things.
In the dialog, we will hear Mike, who works for an auto parts company called Sigma. Mike is talking with Lisa, the lead negotiator for NVP, a Japanese distributor. Sigma and NVP were trying to negotiate a partnership to distribute Sigma’s products in east Asia. The key to that deal was Sigma getting out of an existing arrangement with a Chinese distributor called Wuhan Auto. Today we’ll hear Mike and Lisa try to overcome that obstacle.
Listening Questions
1. What new opportunity does Mike present to Lisa?
2. What evidence from the World Bank does Mike use to back up his idea?
3. Mike narrows the focus of his idea. What product market does he propose partnering in?
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